Goosebumps. There is no other way to describe listening to Marius Simionescu, the lighthouse Romania team, chart his rugby journey. The full-back talks with burning passion about what the game has given him, as he left home and familiarity to chase his dreams and represent his country.
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The 29-year-old was born in the town of Erbicena and grew up mainly in Jaci, a region in the far eastern corner of Romania. His parents moved to Italy in order to earn better for their family, and Simionescu spent most of his childhood under the care of his grandmother. He was 14 years old when rugby found him, and he was persuaded by the famous Romanian coach Gabriel Popa to join the local team.
“The man who would become my first coach came to our school and asked the kids if they wanted to play rugby,” recalls Simionescu. “I said, ‘No, it’s not for me’, but he convinced me by saying he’d fill out a paper and tell the school not to give me homework if I came to rugby training.
Although his academic workload had lessened, Simionescu found rugby unconvincing. For the first three months, training only the basics, the game did not captivate him.
“I skipped practice for a few weeks, and then Mr. Popa came to school and asked me why. I explained, and he said, ‘Come tomorrow and we’ll see if you get bored.’
“I got there and there was a friendly game waiting for me, but with players born in 1995. I was born in 1997, so I was two years younger than them. I played 10 minutes and that’s when I started to love rugby.”
Since then, Simionescu’s rise has been meteoric. He was selected to represent Romania at age level just eight months later. Then his life will change dramatically. In 2014, Simionescu was invited to sign for Timi?oara Saracens, the team that won the Liga Na?ional? de Rugby three times.
“When I graduated from high school in Jači, Mr. Popa told me that the head coach was from Timisoara Saracens he called him asking for four players. He told me to go, because he was sure I had what it took to make it to the top. To continue chasing my dream, I had to move 665 miles from home.”
My parents moved to Italy to find work so they could support me, and Mr. Popa was like a second father.
For Simionescu, this meant leaving behind his grandmother, his friends and, of course, Popa, who still plays an important role in his life.
“I was lucky to have someone like Mr. Popa in my life. My parents moved to Italy to find work to support me, and Mr. Popa was like a second father. He still calls me today to talk about my performance in the game. He was always there for me.”
“I have so many funny stories with him, some of them weren’t funny at the time. One time we played away and stayed in a hotel. Mr. Popa told us to go to bed at 10, but you know how kids are young… we stayed up late, wrestled, yelled. And then Mr. Popa opened the door, so he heard all the way to our room. but, well, yeah, we didn’t break curfew from that day.”
Between 2014 and 2016, Simionescu mostly played for Timi?oara Sarcens U20, waiting until December 2015 to make his debut off the bench in a friendly against the local team.
“A few moments are deeply etched in my mind, but my first final for Timisoara in 2017 was unreal. We played against Baja Mare and won 17-16. I can’t describe how big the last moment was because nothing came close. In that moment, I saw how rugby can really provide unique emotions.”
Although he spent most of his time on the wing, with Romanian legends Gabriel Conache and C?t?lin Fercu as the first-choice full-backs, Simionescu was grateful for the opportunities he was given and the invaluable lessons he learned.
His performances during the 2017 title win were enough to convince Romania head coach Lynn Howells to include him in Stejarii’s squad for the July tour. Yet while he was celebrating this huge milestone, he was mourning one of the most important figures in his life.
“It was a bittersweet moment for me, because I had just lost my grandmother when I was called up to the national team,” says Simionescu. “She raised me. Lynn Howells called me and said she wanted me to join the team for July to take some time away from the pain. It wasn’t easy, but my mother told me to go, so I did.”
The Steyarians faced Japan, Canada and Brazil over three weeks, with Simionescu earning his first cap in a five-minute game against the North American side before featuring in the starting XV against Brazil a week later.
“It was an amazing early day for me, but my favorite game was against Samoa later in the year. I started and was named man of the match. I still get chills from that night, because we won in ’79th minutes at the Triumfalna kapija stadium.”
It’s a high-intensity environment, with a team that works closely together for a long time. And look where we are now.
Simionescu managed to do that. There were detractors when he first moved to Timisoara, but no one questioned his class anymore.
“They said I lacked the physicality and skills to be a rugby player. I remember going back to Ia?ii and saying to Mr. Popa, and he just said, ‘Go to training and prove them wrong.’ Twelve years later, and I’m here because of my parents, my sister, Mr. Pope and all those who supported me.”
Now a cornerstone of the Romanian team and a key leader, Simionescu explains that being part of his nation’s history and rugby tradition is much more than just himself.
“It’s about the shirt, who played before and who will be able to defend it after. When I arrived here, everyone knew that Fercu was the best defender, and I just hope that I can show that I deserve to wear the same number after him.”
Simionescu missed a year of rugby due to injury, missing games in July and November 2025 and returning two months before the inaugural Nations Cup. Despite losing their opener to Chile, Romania fought back for a draw Uruguay before he scores a sensational last-minute goal try to beat Samoa.
“I couldn’t believe it when I checked the final result,” says Simionescu. “We started well, then Samoa fought back and we fell behind. But then we lost all fear of defeat and wanted to win in unison. We had a pencil in front of the post and all the players said: ‘We’re going to do it!’ and, well, we really did!”
With Romania making significant progress in the past year, Simionescu firmly believes that the Cup of Nations was crucial in helping the Stejarii unlock their true potential.
“It’s a great competition, because we have more top games to prepare for tournaments like Rugby World Cup or the European Rugby Championship. It’s a high-intensity environment, with a team that works closely together for a long time. And look where we are right now.”
Bolstered by Romania’s performances in July and eager for the challenges that await in November, when Tonga, USA and Canada visiting Bucharest, Simionescu is already looking ahead, outlining the goals he hopes to achieve in the coming years.
“I would like to win European Rugby Championship and make the impossible become real. Yes, the Springboks are on another level, but we have to pour our hearts and souls into this jersey and this goal. I want people to see who we are and understand that we want to win.”
In all of this, the full-back is quick to credit the coaching staff, led by David Gérard, whose hard work and dedication have given Romania every opportunity to compete and earn the respect of the world rugby community.
“David Gérard and his staff were very important to us, because they inspired us to wake up from our slumber. We progress because we play more games; because we listen to the staff and to each other; because the team is on the same page.”
Iaci, Popa, his family, Timisoara Saracens, Stejarii, Howells, Gérard and trusted team-mates in Vlad Neculau and Marius Iftimiciuc all played a part in Simionescu’s rugby journey, the world that became his home, his existence and his greatest passion.
Apart from man-of-the-match awards, trophies, last-gasp victories, heavy defeats, training in rain and snow, injuries and trips around the world, Simionescu can only express his gratitude to the sport that changed his life.
“I mean everything. Everything. I can’t see my life without rugby. I don’t know what I’m going to do after this. All I know is rugby and nothing else. I give 100% in every session, go home, be with my family, eat dinner, sleep and get back on my rugby journey. Rugby has given me everything.”
